Can I Touch You For a While?
by WyldColt45
Summary: A young mutant discovers he has a useful power, and as a result, someone falls madly in love... but does he love her back? R
1. Genesis

Disclaimer: This story was written simply because I needed to purge myself of pent up emotions. Live out my own fantasies vicariously through words and thoughts. If it makes no sense, blame it on the fact that it's 4:15 A.M. (PST, of course, which is the ONLY real time) I don't own Marvel or X- Men. Damn, to bad, too... Think of all the neat things I could buy. This is Movie-verse, simply because I'm not fully versed with X-Man lore and history (I'm better at Spider-man)  
  
First Chapter- Genesis  
  
"Mutie!"  
  
"Freak!"  
  
"Monster!"  
  
Ark grimaced. The names were familiar, an age-old ritual that had taken shape in countless schools across America since the beginning of the so- called "Mutant Crisis," and yet, they still stung, even now, a year after Ark's mutation had developed.  
  
Mutation? Ha! It could hardly be called a mutation. Maybe a minor deviation, but not a mutation. Mutations were the ability to alter meteorological patterns, or to teleport. Something VALUABLE. Ark couldn't help but fantasize about discovering that he could bend steel, or maybe walk through walls. But no... He was discriminated against simply because his eyes were an unfortunate orange color. Nothing colored contacts couldn't fix. Except his parents couldn't afford them. Not that they would have gotten them, if they could. They were firm believers in being yourself. Ark sighed. Easy for THEM to say. They both had green eyes.  
  
Suddenly, a stone smashed into the back of Ark's head. Fighting back tears, he silently wished, not for the first time that day, that he had some cool power, instead of this spot-on-the-wall excuse for a mutation. Another stone whizzed past Ark's head, reminding him of his plight. He was perched in a tree, desperately hanging on to a limb. ~Maybe the ability to become invisible.~ He mused silently.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like hours, the bell rang, and the gang of boys dispersed, knowing that tomorrow they would resume the game, never even pausing to wonder if Ark was hurt. Ark was a mutie, and therefore was beneath common curtesy. It just was the way things were.  
  
Ark considered going to a teacher, or to the principal, but he already knew what the response would be. He was by no means the only mutant in the school, he was sure, but his was the only one that was inherently obvious to the naked eye. The school board tolerated him because they didn't want to deal with the backlash of refusing to teach him, but his presence was at best an annoyance. No, it was best to keep quiet, and hope the game got old.  
  
As soon as his tormentors were gone, Ark climbed down from the tree, brushing his tangled brown hair out of his glowing eyes. He was late for class again. Not that his teacher would care, of course. He was never marked absent, because he was beneath notice, unless something had gone wrong.  
  
Shaking his head, Ark hurried across the playground, and slowly pulled open the door to his classroom.  
  
"But now you have one hydrogen atom too many, so you have to... " Mr. Dickens, the chemistry teacher, paused, glancing at Ark. "You're late again, Ark." He scowled. Ark sighed. Of course Mr. Dickens had to be teaching. THAT one was a mutant, to be sure. How else could you explain his uncanny ability to detect even the slightest of whispers?  
  
"Yes, sir. I had some... trouble getting out of a tree." He tried not to glance in Keith Norton's direction as he spoke. Keith was the most popular boy in school, and one of his primary assailants. "I'm sorry, sir. I'll try to be on time tomorrow."  
  
"That would be rather hard, Ark. Tomorrow is Saturday." He smirked, and everyone laughed. Ark felt the heat rising in his cheeks. He was getting tired of getting picked on. Oh, what he wouldn't give for one moment of a true mutation.  
  
"Yes, sir. May I sit down now, sir?" Ark was struggling to remain polite. Antagonizing a teacher was not a good way to stay in school.  
  
"No, Ark. I think I'd prefer if you went to Principal Bradley's office."  
  
"But SIR!"  
  
"Go!"  
  
"Buh bye, glow worm." Keith snickered at his own wit, and the rest of the dumb jocks and blonde cheerleaders laughed along with him. ~Mob mentality at its best,~ Ark thought numbly, before making his way to the cramped room the principal used as an office. Originally, it had been a temporary arrangement, until the administrative building could be rebuilt after the '94 quake, but budget cuts had made the construction work a far off dream, so they dealt with what they had.  
  
Ms. Bradley was a plump woman who would best be described as "jolly". Well, most of the time, anyway. To Ark, it seemed like she was just another tyrant. "Ark, Ark, Ark... We have to stop meeting like this." She chuckled, and Ark wondered irrelevantly if being human automatically meant having no sense of humor. "What did you do now?"  
  
"I was late for class, ma'am."  
  
"Again?"  
  
"Yes'm." Ark fidgeted in his chair, then raised his orange eyes to meet Ms. Bradley's blue. She didn't flinch. This time.  
  
Ms. Bradley sighed. "The school board is breathing down my neck about you, you know. You're somewhat of a thorn in their side. They want to kick you out, but they need a good reason. Don't give them one, Ark. Go home. You're suspended for three days."  
  
"But Ms. Bradley!"  
  
"Do you want to make it four?"  
  
"No, but..."  
  
"GO!"  
  
Ark sighed resignedly, and pushed his way out of the building and down the steps to the parking lot. His car was small and needed a new coat of paint and a tune-up, but it was all his parents could afford at the moment. He wasn't bitter. A lot of kids he knew were lucky to have a meal on any given day, let alone a car. It took him three tries to get it started, and he stalled out once, before he got out of the school lot.  
  
The ride was usually short, but Ark to a side route, hoping for some time to think. It wasn't that he was afraid to go home. The house would be empty. He checked his watch. It was almost one. That meant that his father would be at work, probably screwing his secretary, and his mom would be off either shopping, gossiping, or drinking herself blind. Neither one would be home before eight, so he didn't really have to worry.  
  
When Ark finally arrived home, however, he found that he did, in fact, have reason to worry. The door had been blown open, and hung limply on twisted hinges. "Shit!" He swore. He parked his car and ran into the house. Everything was a mess. Papers were lying everywhere, drawers were strewn about the floor, cabinets were open and their contents were spilled onto the counters. He ran too his bedroom, and came face to face with a man who reminded him vaguely of a tiger. Maybe it was the teeth. Or the claws. Or the fact that he kept sniffing. Or the low growling laugh.  
  
"Peek-a-boo. I see you." And he leapt. 


	2. Insertion

A/N: Holy shit, I updated! Yeah yeah yeah... I've been depressed lately, and as we all know, the only way for me to beat that is to write. For those of you who care, I was in a production of Blood Brothers, and I fell for the guy who played my older brother, Sammy. For those of you who don't, suffice it to say I feel write-y now. It's almost midnight. Do you know where YOUR author is? This story has been in the fridge for ... more than two years. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things.

Second Chapter: Insertion

Ark awoke to the thrum of engines. Disoriented, he struggled to remember what had happened, but all his mind could conjure was the image of a cat. No... That was wrong. Not a cat. A mutant? Shit! His house... He struggled to sit up, but gloved hands pulled him back down, and a voice whispered soothingly to him. Shhh... Everything is fine. Go back to sleep. It wasn't until just before he slipped back into the darkness that he realized the voice was in his own head.

----------------

"Kid, we're here." The words pierced the shroud of darkness that had surrounded Ark for what seemed like hours. The voice was somewhat gruff, and definitely impatient. Not someone Ark wanted to face, even if his head didn't feel like it was splitting open.

Memory came flooding back. He'd been attacked... By a cat-man. Or something. And he'd fainted. Some brave hero.

If I just don't open my eyes... I can imagine I'm still in my bed, I'm still back in L.A. and there was no cat-person... No voices in my head... Not to mention the fact that if he opened his eyes, his saviors might not be too keen on keeping him safe. His eyes would give him away.

"Hey, kid. Wake up." Rough hands grasped his shoulders, but were quickly removed.

"Careful... Xavier said not to touch him." That voice... THAT voice Ark recognized. It was the voice Ark had heard before, in his head. The voice telling him it would all be okay. But that's not possible... Right?

He almost opened his eyes before he caught himself. Maybe if he pretended to be asleep, they would take him home and forget about him. Home? What home? That damn fur-ball destroyed my house!

"Look, kid. We don't have time for your games. We're here, we need to get back, and you need to get up. Cerebro picked up another potential student in your hometown, and while he's not quite as ... unique... as you are, we want to get to him before Sabretooth does."

Grudgingly, Ark opened his eyes. His surroundings took him by complete surprise. He was sitting in what looked like the cockpit of a jet, sitting next to a very disgruntled looking guy who was in desperate need of a shave. On the other side was a girl.. no, a woman... with long red hair. Ark recognized her from the news. She'd actively opposed the Anti-mutant legislation, including the Mutant Registration Act. Joan Graham or something. Ark hadn't really paid attention.

But what caught his attention even more than the company was that outside it was snowing. "Where the hell am I?" He wished he didn't sound so panicked, but it couldn't be helped. Joan- No, Jean, that was it. Jean Grey- turned to him and smiled, rather apologetically.

"We don't usually take students without asking permission first, but you're a special case, I'm afraid. We're in New York. At a special school. For people like us." She paused for a second, and a look of surprise crossed her face. She glanced across Ark at the other man, shrugged meaningfully. "We're all mutants here. Logan here was the one who saved you. It's a good thing he found you when he did." She paused meaningfully, obviously waiting for Ark to offer gratitude. So he didn't. With a rueful shake of her head, she went on. "No one at your school seemed to know where you were."

"Enough with the welcome wagon, Red. We have another pick up to make, and I'd rather do it before ole One-Eye notices we're both gone." He winked at her suggestively, and she flushed. "The Professor can fill the boy in."

"Alright, alright... Follow me, Ark." She stood and marched purposefully down a ramp that had opened in the rear of the plane. The only other option being conversation with Logan, Ark hurriedly followed suit.

When he finally caught up, Ms. Grey was talking to a boy of age with Ark. "...touch him, okay?" The other boy nodded, met Ark's eyes, and grinned. Ark couldn't help but grin back, feeling warm despite the cold. It was the first time in a long time someone had met his eyes without wincing.

"Ark, this is Bobby. Bobby will show you to your dorm, okay?" And she was gone.

"There's a big fuss about you, you know." Bobby smiled, in a failed attempt to lighten what he'd said. "They say you're something special. But they won't tell us what you do."

"Do?" Ark laughed. "I don't do anything. Just my eyes. And I guess I have better-than-average night vision." Bobby just looked at him incredulously. "What do YOU do, then?"

"They call me Iceman." He shrugged. "Not much use this time of year, I suppose. We'd better get in. I'm half frozen." He grinned roguishly, even as he turned to make his way back to the big building in the distance. "No pun intended."


End file.
